You are What You Are, and I Love You Anyway
by n3rual
Summary: Marlene McKinnon has been dating Remus Lupin for a few months. Fabian Prewett has just told her that Remus is keeping a secret from her, how will she react when she finds out what it is? Marlene/Remus.


So this is my entry into the Emotions and Words Challenge by MidnightEmberMisery over at HPFC. The challenge was to include Fabian Prewett into a story that shipped Remus Lupin with Marlene McKinnon as well as to use the word 'juice' and the emotion 'satisfaction'.

* * *

The sun had set hours before and as Marlene sat in the window seat of the small home, she sighed. The moon was bright and full tonight, twinkling stars all around, and while the sight was beautiful, it caused nothing but worry for the young witch.

She hadn't known his secret until they'd started dating. She hadn't even suspected which she now chastised herself for constantly, for she was supposed to be observant, supposed to notice these things, but she hadn't. She hadn't noticed for months and months, every time he disappeared she put it down to being because of the Order, perhaps a boy's night, or some such nonsense. Never once had she connected it to the moon. She probably wouldn't have for a long while either, but now she knew, she could do nothing more but stare up at that cursed moon, and worry.

* * *

Fabian Prewett had always had a thing for Marlene, ever since Hogwarts, where he'd see her wandering around, wand behind her ear and hair in a high pony tail. Ever since he saw her steal James Potter's broom and race Sirius across the lawn. Ever since, he saw her. He was a few years her senior, and only gained a little time with her in school, but the Order had provided him another opportunity to stare across the table, sipping pumpkin juice while watching her.

He had hoped one day he'd be able to date her, to take her out and wine and dine her, but he lost the chance shortly after she joined the Order. Marlene wasn't the only one who joined straight out of Hogwarts, far from it, it seemed in the height of war, her graduating class had taken it upon themselves to become an army, with the majority of the Gryffindor alumni signing up, and preparing to fight. He recognised most of them, Sirius Black with his long dishevelled hair and surprisingly handsome face, James Potter, mischievous and cunning, clinging to Lily Evans as if she were nothing more than a teddy bear and he a tiny child. And then of course there was _him_, the odd one, secretive and distant, with tattered clothes and little apparent care for his appearance of himself in general.

Fabian couldn't understand how Marlene could like such a man. How could she like a man that held back secrets, seemed so distant, so odd, and while yes even Fabian would admit he had an interesting air of intelligence, and was close to his friends, the man seemed so distant from women, from others to whom he'd not associated and shared a dormitory with throughout school. Fabian couldn't understand why she liked him, what she liked about him, and most of all, why Marlene didn't want _him_?

Marlene of course was smitten. Remus was perhaps the most grounded of the Marauder boys, what with Sirius wanting nothing more than an uncountable number of notches on his bedpost, and James obsessed to the point of near insanity with Lily. No, Remus was the normal one, the one who was all there, and caring and charming and lovely. Handsome too, but not in the show offish way that his friends held (of course, she couldn't include Peter, who had never been that good looking, and whom she'd not seen since the end of school to change her mind!).

Despite the care and attention she gave him, despite her patching him up every other month, healing bruises and cuts that he'd gotten in apparent play fights with Sirius or James, or from a mission with the Order he couldn't speak of, she never seemed to put together the timing of the events. But Fabian did, see, he liked Marlene, he wanted Marlene, and he was sure he could get Marlene, all he needed was to get rid of Remus, and what better way was there than to scare her with the truth?

They had been together for four months, Marlene and Remus that is, when Fabian wandered into the kitchen of the Order's meeting place. Marlene was sat sipping pumpkin juice from an old glass and reading through the Daily Prophet, Remus was gone, disappeared into the moonlight and unable, of course, to defend himself from the slanderous words Fabian had planned.

"Morning," Fabian yawned as he grabbed a slice of toast and sat across from her, "Where's Remus?" He raised an eyebrow before taking a bite from his toast.

"Morning Fabian, I've no idea actually, off on a mission or with Sirius and James I suppose, you know how it is! The Order's work is never done!" Marlene smiled turning the page of the newspaper before looking back at him again; he was nodding trying to swallow his toast in an almost desperate attempt to speak more quickly.

"Don't you ever wonder where he goes?"

"Of course I do! But if it's for the Order, then surely it's better that not too many people know right?" She was feeling defensive now, what right did he have to question her on such a matter?

"Marlene, can't you see he's hiding something? The Order doesn't send individuals on missions – and look, everyone has been in recently. What if I told you I knew why he was really gone?" He smirked a little bitting a small piece of toast off and watching her think, watching her shake her head, not wanting to believe that Remus was hiding something.

"Ok, so why has he gone? I'm guessing while you're at it you can tell me why he's all scratched up? Or why he's not told me himself?"

The older male nodded quickly. "He's gone because, he's a werewolf Marlene. Haven't you noticed that there was a full moon last night? And every other night he left? That every time he comes back cut or bruised it's after the full moon?" With that, Fabian stood, pushing in the chair as satisfaction filled him. The satisfaction of her knowing what Remus really was made his heart beat faster, his palms sweat, perhaps, with this satisfaction would come the further satisfaction of her being his?

Marlene had sat staring at the space Fabian had occupied, staring, blankly and wondering, thinking, hoping. She wondered whether it could be true. Thought of all the times he'd disappeared. And hoped it wasn't. More so, she hoped that Remus could explain everything further, to tell her that Fabian had lied, or if not, give her a bloody good reason as not to tell her the truth from the beginning.

* * *

They'd been fighting for hours, not about what Fabian had said, but about why Remus would go away. He'd tried to tell her it was for the Order, for James and Sirius or Lily, or anyone and everyone, but she wasn't hearing it anymore. She asked about the moon, why it was always the full moon that had him out of the house. Out of the Order's house, her home, even his, he was never at any of these places during that time. He'd paled at that, and she shook her head.

"I know why, Remus, I know _what_ you are."

He paled again. She paused and walked towards him, "You're a werewolf, aren't you? You're a fucking werewolf, and you never told me!"

Remus paled, and stepped away from her as if he'd been stung. Her words were harsh, cutting and he took a deep breath, "I..I didn't tell you...To protect you..?" He was offering excuses, pleading with her using his eyes.

Marlene shook her head and smiled at him, "I don't need protecting Remus, I'm not a child, though, often, I feel as though you treat me as one" She walked towards him, Remus the werewolf, _her_ Remus, _her_ werewolf and smiled as she raised her wand. He flinched and she shook her head laughing softly, "You've got a cut above your eyebrow Remus, let me heal it before you scar, please?"

A breath out and he relaxed, "You're... not mad?"

"Oh, I'm mad Remus; you lied and hid things from me, for months. Months, Remus! _But_, I'm sure you can make it up to me," she smiled, and kissed him softly, "And, I'm sure you won't do anything like this again? No more 'protecting' me by keeping secrets, ok?"

He could only nod; dumbfounded at her forgiveness, only nod as he smiled up at the woman he cared so much for. She didn't hate him; she didn't even seem to care about what he was! He smiled at her again "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I was worried how you'd react."

And with that explanation Marlene was satisfied; she nodded and held him in her arms for a moment. "Now, let me heal that cut!"


End file.
